UnGrow Up
by DramaLexy
Summary: A gate accident has some interesting results for three members of the team. Somewhat ShWeir-y
1. Prologue

TITLE: Un-Grow Up

AUTHOR: DramaLexy

DISCLAIMER: oh, IF ONLY they were mine…but they're not, so don't sue

SUMMARY: A gate accident has some interesting results for three members of the team. Somewhat ShWeir-y

DISTRIBUTION: Sure, if you want it, just let me know where

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first Atlantis fic, so please be kind. I'm still learning about all the people and technology; I was slow and decided to start watching after catching a glimpse of the season finale. Anyway, how you enjoy; feedback is greatly appreciated!

* * *

"Off-world activation." 

Elizabeth looked up at the sound of the voice of the officer that was at the console in the Gate Room. "It's Major Sheppard's IDC," another reported.

She headed for the stairs, commenting, "They're back early," as she went. "Lower the shield." With a flash of light, it came down. Rodney was in the gate area as well and just barely ducked before enemy weapon fire hit him. Members of the team began coming through one by one, still firing their weapons behind them. John was the last one, and as he came into Atlantis, one blast hit the gate directly, before Elizabeth could order them to put the shield up. The resulting explosion threatened to knock them off their feet.

"Raise the shield!" Elizabeth yelled up the stairs.

"The console's not responding!" The next shot that came through from the other side of the gate hit the dialing computer itself, and the gate shut down just as another larger explosion emanated from it. As the smoke cleared, everyone in the room stared at the three people that were standing closest to the gate.

"You all right?" Elizabeth asked the two around her, and was surprised by the sound of the voice she heard coming out of her mouth. Even more stunning, when she turned to look at John, instead of seeing a 6'2" man her eyes fell upon a startled boy, appearing to be just over the age of ten and gaping back at her. Elizabeth didn't have a mirror, but she had a sinking feeling about what had just happened.

"Oh, crap," a voice said, and they both spun to face McKay, who didn't look any older than either of them.

"Major Sheppard?" one of the other officers incredulously asked. John put his hand in the air.

"That'd be me…sorta."

* * *

TBC… 


	2. Chapter One

All three of them were down in the infirmary shortly thereafter, sitting on beds as a very puzzled Carson Beckett examined them all.

"It felt like an electric shock," John explained, fidgeting as Carson tried to check him over. Elizabeth was playing with a lock of her hair out of some old, forgotten habit as she watched them.

Rodney sighed, folding his arms. "If I knew more about how their weaponry worked, I could try to analyze what exactly its reaction was on the gate."

"Was it actually something related to the gate?" Elizabeth asked him. "John was already clear of it and you and I never traveled through it."

"Speaking of traveling through the gate," Carson said as he bandaged a minor wound on John's arm, "Is it possible for you to return from a mission without having been shot at?"

"Apparently not," John dryly replied.

"We were within arms reach of the event horizon when the gate shut down," Rodney was explaining to Elizabeth. "It's possible that it could have been destabilized by their weaponry. We're lucky no one lost a limb or got vaporized, but OBVIOUSLY, I won't know what's ACTUALLY possible until I run some tests."

"Can you even reach a lab bench?" John shot. McKay couldn't resist the urge to stick his tongue out at him.

"Okay, that's real mature, guys," Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm about eleven," John told her. "Where exactly did you think maturity was going to come into play?"

"What does your age have to do with that?" McKay shot back.

"All right, enough!" Elizabeth told them. "Rodney, talk to Teyla and see if she has any information that can help you, and then work with Beckett for some way to…fix this." She slid down off of the bed and had made about two steps towards the door before Carson noticed.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"We only reverted physiologically, because my memory is still intact, and right now I'm remembering all the work that's waiting for me in my office. Keep me updated on your progress?" Carson nodded, and so Elizabeth left. John just smiled.

"I sure as hell wouldn't be running off to do work now," he commented.

"That's why, thankfully, you're not in charge of the city," Rodney sniped as he, too, got down.

* * *

The surprised look on Teyla's face when she saw the figure in her doorway was enough to make John laugh. "John? What are you doing here?" 

"We had a training session," he simply stated.

"I had assumed – "

"That you wouldn't have to beat up on a little kid? Un-uh. Come on; you told me to practice and I've been practicing and now I get to prove how useless it was." Teyla raised an eyebrow as she went to get her weapons.

"If you think I am going to 'go easy on you', as you would put it…"

He smirked, "Why would I think that?"

* * *

For those in Atlantis' control room that were watching the situation in the city's leader's office, there was a pretty funny sight to be seen: a brunette twelve-year-old in a noticeably too big expedition jacket was going toe to toe with her chief of security, who was probably about two heads taller than her and just as stubborn. For those inside of the office, the situation wasn't anywhere near as entertaining. 

"My brain still works, Sergeant," Elizabeth told Bates. "I'm not turning over control of the city. I can still do everything I could do yesterday."

"And what if something else happens?" he asked her. "What if this isn't reversible?"

"It's reversible."

"How do you know that?" Elizabeth was sorely tempted to stand on a chair – he was using his height advantage for all it was worth.

"Because I know Rodney, and he will not stop working until he's come up with a solution. I'm the leader of this expedition, and it's going to stay that way."

"What about Major Sheppard?"

"What about him?"

"You really think the military personnel in this city should be taking orders from a child?"

"I think they should be taking orders from their commanding officer, who – at the moment – just happens to look like a child. You're not going to get anywhere with this argument; until I have proof that either one of us is unfit to lead, we're doing it. Now, was there anything else?" Bates grudgingly beat a retreat. Elizabeth sank back into her chair with a sigh.

_Not only does Rodney REALLY need to find a fix,_ she told herself, _but he needs to find it fast…_

* * *

John instituted another movie night that evening, if only to give himself something to do. There'd been a rather extensive debate when it came to selecting a film, but in the end, they'd chosen The Final Countdown. 

"Are we all set?" someone asked as they all took seats around the room.

"Yeah," John said. "No, wait. Where's Elizabeth?"

"Her office, the last time I saw her," someone replied. John rolled his eyes, getting up (he'd decided he was no longer tall enough to jump over the back of the couch.)

"Don't start the movie," he said, and the chorus of groans he got wasn't unexpected. "Just give me five minutes! I'll be back."

"I'm pushing play in five minutes," Aiden warned him.

"Fine!" John called back as he hurried down the halls back towards the control room. Elizabeth was, of course, still sitting at her desk looking at reports.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say someone was cramming for a test tomorrow," John teased her. She looked up with a smile, knowing how she must have appeared.

"Yeah, a test on the water filtration systems of a ten-thousand-year-old city."

"Well…how about studying for something else?"

"Such as?"

"How an aircraft carrier can get pulled back in time from 1980 to the day before Pearl Harbor? We're watching The Final Countdown, but I told them not to start until I brought you back with me."

"John…"

"It's one night. And you are sorely in need of some fun – now more than ever. Come on." Elizabeth thought about it, and finally put her pen down.

"Someone better have made popcorn," she told him as they left her office together. She couldn't help but return John's smile; even as a child, he still had that flyboy grin.

"I think we could find you a bowl."

* * *

TBC... 

See the blue button? You know what to do 8-)


	3. Chapter Two

By the time the movie had finished, John was highly amused to see that Elizabeth had fallen asleep on the couch beside him. "Someone's up past their bedtime," an officer joked, but John motioned them away, not wanting to wake her. He knew how little sleep she got on average.

"You want me to carry her back to her quarters?" Aiden quietly asked him.

"No, I think we should just leave her here."

"There's a briefing in the morning," Grodin told him. "She'll have your head if she sleeps through it." John rolled his eyes.

"I'll get her to the briefing in time."

"Have you ever been on time for anything in your life?" Aiden asked.

"If I was about two feet taller, I wouldn't hesitate to kick your ass," John shot back. "Get outta here before you wake her up." They obliged.

John carefully put Elizabeth's feet up on the couch and then found a blanket and pulled it over her. He was torn between getting some sleep himself in his quarters and not leaving her alone, and finally laid down on another couch to get some rest. The lights in the room automatically dimmed once the sensors no longer detected people moving around.

A few hours later, though, John was pulled awake by the sound of a voice. "No…don't…." he quickly realized it was Elizabeth.

"Wake up," he told her as he shook her shoulder, squinting as the lights came back on. "Elizabeth, wake up, it's just a nightmare." Her eyes finally opened, and she looked around the room wildly.

"Where are we?"

"Just in one of the rec rooms. You fell asleep when we were watching a movie; you're okay." Elizabeth's breathing finally slowed to a normal pace. "That must have been some dream," he told her, noticing she had pulled her knees up under her chin defensively. "Wanna talk about it?" Elizabeth was silent for a long moment.

"I…I don't remember," she finally said. "What time is it? We should get to bed."

"Yeah…I can walk you to your quarters."

"I'll be fine, John. Honest," she added when he looked like he was going to protest. "Good night."

"Night," he replied and watched her go.

* * *

Morning briefings were never John's favorite place to be, but there was one bit of news reported that brightened his mood – they'd gotten the gate operational again, and the off-world that had been previously scheduled for that afternoon could transpire as planned. 

Well, almost as planned.

"Major Sheppard, where do you think you're going?"

John, standing in the middle of the Gate Room, cringed at the sound that came from the control room. Even as a child, Elizabeth's voice had that certain authoritative quality to it that let him know was about to get it.

"My team's scheduled for an off-world," he replied, gesturing to Teyla and the officers that were standing around him, all ready to go. As Elizabeth descended the staircase and pulled him aside, John was vaguely aware of the fact that everyone else in the room was trying to hide snickers as its two most senior – and two youngest – expedition team members conversed.

"You wave good-bye and then go find something to do," Elizabeth told him. "Did you HONESTLY think I was going to let you through the gate?"

"Why not? You're still running the city."

"From an office! We have no idea what going through the gate would do to you."

"Maybe it'll fix us."

"Or maybe it'll turn you into an infant! Until Rodney has determined exactly what happened, you're off active status, clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." There were a few audible snickers at that – she definitely didn't LOOK like a 'ma'am' at the moment – but Elizabeth ignored them all, turning and heading back upstairs. John took a seat at the bottom of the steps to see his team off.

"Good luck," he heard her call to the team as the gate dialed up. He couldn't help but think that the sight before him was WRONG. He was supposed to be with his team. He was supposed to wave to her when she called down over the balcony. Their normal routine was something that John had taken for granted as of late, but he promised himself he wouldn't do that in the future if – no, WHEN Rodney fixed things.

* * *

After two hours, John was bored out of his mind. "Lizzie?" he teasingly asked as he entered her office. "Liz?" She didn't look up from the screen in front of her, and considering her recently-diminished size, he couldn't see her face around it to know if she was even paying any attention to him until, 

"Are you trying to speak to me?" Elizabeth dryly asked.

"What, you never had a nickname when you were a kid? Everyone called you Elizabeth your whole life?"

"What do you need, John?" He knew that tone well – it meant he was getting on her last nerve.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sit here and watch and wait while we go off-world? The waiting part is driving me nuts."

"It's part of being in command."

"Well, then I'd really hate to have your job."

"Was that all?" She sounded exhausted, and John instantly felt bad. His intention hadn't been to annoy her; he just wanted someone to talk to that he didn't have to look up at in order to do it.

"Sorry…Is there anything I can do to help you? With your work?"

Elizabeth looked up in surprise, her head poking out from behind her monitor in order to look at him. "Are you serious?"

John shrugged. "Well…yeah."

"Check in with Rodney and see if he's made any progress…and then debrief your team when they get back." John nodded, heading out the door.

"Can do."

"John?" He stopped, turning back.

"Mmm?"

"Thanks." The genuine smile he saw on her face made up for the boredom he was undoubtedly going to have to suffer through with Rodney. She'd been cute as a kid…not that she wasn't beautiful as an adult…

_Okay, John, that train of thought stops right here,_ he scolded himself as he left the office. _End-of-the-line, last-run-of-the-night, train stops here. That's Elizabeth – Dr. Weir, and just…no._

* * *

Unfortunately, John's visit to Rodney had led the pint-sized scientist to request that the Major be his lab rat for the afternoon. John debriefed his team, and then returned to the science labs as per demand. "Make this quick," he said as he sat on a table. 

"It's not like you have anywhere important to be," Rodney shot back.

The fact that he was about to have what was seemingly a child start experimenting on him suddenly popped up in John's mind. "Shouldn't Beckett or someone…you know – of legal age – be baby-sitting you down here?" he asked. Rodney picked up a needle.

"I wouldn't be taunting the person with the sharp objects right now if I were you." John kept his mouth shut while his blood was drawn.

"You were one of those kids that got the crap kicked out of him daily in grade school, huh?" he asked once McKay was finished.

"This coming from one who was undoubtedly doing the pummeling."

"I only gave a kid a swirly once."

"How kind of you," Rodney sarcastically sniped, putting a slide with the blood he'd just drawn under a microscope. John watched him for a moment.

"Anything?" he finally asked.

"I'm not going to waste my time with a scientific analysis you wouldn't understand anyway."

"Thank God for small favors," John muttered. "You drag Elizabeth in here, too?"

"I got blood samples from her in her office."

"Samples? As in plural?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Yes, John, that is what an 's' denotes in the English language."

"You're only sticking me once!"

"Relax – Elizabeth's second vial was for Carson."

"Is she sick?"

"I didn't ask. He just said that he'd been trying to get her in for a routine physical and a blood test for weeks with no results, so he wanted my help. If you want answers, why don't you talk to him – or better yet, talk to Elizabeth herself."

"Fine." He started to get up.

"AFTER I'm done with you," Rodney amended.

* * *

TBC... 


	4. Chapter Three

Carson was absolutely no help and John wasn't going to bother Elizabeth, not yet at least. He actually saw her leave her office before midnight, and was glad she was getting some rest.

Of course, the REASON that John saw her leaving her office was because he was up roaming the halls himself. Sleep wasn't coming easy, so he headed for the kitchen. They had a pretty good supply of foodstuffs, thanks to the trading relations they'd developed over the past few months. He was thankful of the fact that all civilizations – even ones in the Pegasus Galaxy – had developed something equivalent to chocolate, and even more grateful that Atlantis stocked a couple various types. It didn't really surprise him, either, that he found Rodney in there as well, getting his own late night snack.

"Do you ever stop eating?" he asked the scientist. Rodney thought about it.

"Yes."

"When?"

"I'll get back to you on that. I know I'M looking at an all-nighter, but what are YOU doing up?"

"Just couldn't sleep."

Rodney smirked. "There are no monsters under your bed, Major."

"No, they're on the other side of the gate," he quietly replied. Rodney didn't have an answer for that, and so they were both silent for a while, enjoying their chocolate and what passed for ice cream in Pegasus.

"I ought to get back," Rodney finally said.

"You making any progress?" John asked. "And do us both a favor and just say 'yes' or 'no'."

"I don't know," Rodney grudgingly replied. John was surprised.

"What happened to the ever-insufferably-overconfident McKay?"

He shrugged as he headed for the door. "Like you said, I got the crap kicked out of me daily in school. Maybe we're reverting mentally as well." John frowned, now alone in the room.

"Well, that would suck."

* * *

As he walked back towards his quarters, a flash of lightning from outside illuminated the corridor and he noticed Elizabeth hadn't actually gone to bed, but was standing by one of the doors to a terrace outside. After watching the falling rain for another moment, she stepped out onto the balcony. John just stared after her from the doorway as she moved into the open, quickly getting soaking wet. She stood there, arms out to her sides, staring up at the dark sky as the rain fell, and John finally figured he should make his presence known and try to get her back inside before she caught pneumonia. 

"What're you doing?" he asked, still in the safe and dry area by the door. Elizabeth looked over to him for a moment, and then turned back to the sky.

"Thinking of home," she finally said.

"Of home?"

"Yeah…I'd run around in the rain and then my mother would wrap me up in a towel and we'd just stand there watching it fall…She always had this smile on her face…" There was another long pause, as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and she got even wetter and colder. John was just about to suggest going inside when Elizabeth spoke up again. "She died about now…I mean, when I was this age the first time."

"I-I'm sorry."

"My father was a wreck…And that's when I stopped being 'Liz' or 'Lizzie' and became 'Elizabeth'." He was quiet for a long moment.

"You could un-grow up for a little while; this is your chance. I mean…you could make crayon drawings or play in the gardens or dance in the rain. Be a kid…Although, it's probably a bit cold to stay in the rain much longer." Elizabeth smiled slightly, although she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes seemed faraway and contemplative. "Come on; I bet I could find some markers or something to draw pictures with," John persisted.

Elizabeth looked around, as though she was just realizing where they were. "This is crazy," she finally said, coming to join him under the awning in front of the door. "I'm going to bed; I'll see you in the morning." John sighed as he followed her inside.

"Elizabeth, wait," he said, reaching for her arm to stop her. He froze, though, when he felt how warm her skin was, despite how she'd spent the past five to ten minutes. "You've got a fever." He reached to put a hand on her forehead, but she brushed him away.

"I'm all right. Just a bit tired." John knew that his quarters were closer than hers, so he pulled her down the hall towards them. Inside, he grabbed a few towels and wrapped them around her.

"You're getting sick, and you're standing out in the rain like a crazy person?" he chided her.

"I'm not sick. I feel fine."

"Would you ever actually admit it if you weren't feeling fine?" Elizabeth didn't reply. "This is why Carson's worried about you."

"What's he worried about?"

"We all worry about you," John told her. "I don't even want to think about what this city would do without you here." Elizabeth gave him a slightly mocking smile.

"Become a military base under your command," she replied. "You could have your way with the place – no one else to take orders from." He made an attempt to dry off her hair – she was still shivering, and her lips were turning blue. Her appearance was reminding him greatly of the aftermath of the massive hurricane that had hit the city only weeks earlier – they weren't memories he wanted to drag up. Right now, Elizabeth looked about as fragile as the porcelain doll John's sister had once owned.

"I can't promise you that tonight will be the last time I subvert your authority, but I will try," he told her.

"What happened tonight?" Elizabeth cautiously asked.

"Tonight, I'm ordering you to go see Carson in the morning, before briefing."

"Ordering me?"

"Yes. And if you don't go, I won't hesitate to make a scene in the conference room and drag you down to the infirmary myself. Kicking and screaming, if I have to."

She smiled slightly. "And if I DO follow this 'order'?"

"Then…I don't know. Come up with something."

Her smile widened. "Carte blanche? That's a dangerous prospect, Major. You sure you know what you're doing?" John nodded.

"Yeah…It'll be worth it in the end." Elizabeth looked away, although John saw the shy smile on her face.

"I should get back to my quarters…get out of these clothes," she told him. He nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

However, by the time the briefing was supposed to start the following day, Elizabeth hadn't appeared in the gate room yet. None of them had ever known her to be late for anything. 

John clicked on his headset. "Sheppard to Beckett."

"Go ahead, Major," the Scottsman replied from his spot in the infirmary.

"Have you seen Elizabeth this morning?"

"I was about to call looking for her myself."

"She never came to see you?"

"No, was she supposed to?" John didn't reply, taking off out of the conference room at a run and heading down the steps and through the corridors towards Elizabeth's quarters. When he arrived at her room, he could see through the ornate stained glass window that she was still inside – seemingly asleep – but the door was locked.

"Sheppard to Bates, I need a security override on the door to Dr. Weir's quarters."

"What's going on?" the Sergeant responded.

"Just open the door!"

"John, is she all right?" Beckett asked, having heard him over their still-open communications link.

"I don't know."

"There's a med team on their way to meet you."

The door finally opened, and John hurried over to Elizabeth's side. Her skin was flushed, damp tendrils of hair were sticking to her face, and he knew her fever had worsened. He cursed himself for not making her see Beckett last night.

"Elizabeth? Can you hear me?" Her eyes fluttered open. "Hey, that's it. Stay awake for me."

"John?"

"Yeah. There's a med team on their way." She seemed even more like the child she appeared to be as she looked up at him.

"I don't…I don't think I'm 'fine'…" He took her hand, brushing her hair back from her face.

"I know. I won't leave you, though. I promise."

* * *

TBC... 


	5. Chapter Four

Patience had never been one of John Sheppard's strong suits, so sitting around the infirmary all day was torture, although he'd threatened Beckett into letting him stay at Elizabeth's side. John didn't understand much of the medical babble that Carson and Rodney were using, but he knew that something was very wrong.

Beckett had been tipped off that morning that there might be a problem with Elizabeth when he'd gotten around to analyzing her blood sample. She was highly anemic and her white blood cell count was almost nonexistent. Once Elizabeth had been brought in, they realized that the age reversal was taking a much more serious physiological toll than anyone had previously thought. John and Rodney were – for now – protected by the ancient gene, but they still didn't understand how, and knew it wouldn't be permanent. John hadn't heard them start to give any time estimates yet, but he knew it couldn't be long, considering the condition of the girl sleeping beside him in an isolation room that had been set up for her.

He heard a cough behind him and turned around in his chair to see that Elizabeth wasn't actually asleep anymore. He tried to offer her a smile, "Hey, there."

"John?" she asked once the coughing subsided. "Are we on Atlantis?"

"Yeah…did you have another dream?" He took her silence as a yes. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired…sore. Where's Carson?"

"With Rodney. You need him?" She shook her head, her mind finally clearing enough that she could take in his appearance – he was wearing a far-too-large drape over his clothes, had a mask over his face, and for the first time since she had met him, his hair had actually been tamed and was underneath a little cap.

"What's going on?"

"Well, apparently you've also got a pretty good talent for making a mess of things."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "That's your specialty."

"I know, and I don't like the competition, so cut it out." She cracked a smile. "Carson insisted on all this junk, though, if I wanted to stay with you. Apparently someone caught a rather nasty respiratory infection last night. Can't imagine how…" At least the mock-glare he was giving her earned him a small smile.

"You actually stayed?" she asked, a bit of awe in her voice.

"I told you I would."

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it."

"So…how bad?"

"You want the short version or the long version?"

"Short."

"The Doc and Rodney are working on it." Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Okay, long."

"Your immune system has pretty much disappeared in the past two days."

"Related to our little trip in time?"

"Mmm-hmm. If you had the ancient gene…"

"Story of my life. Keep going."

"Well, like I said, Carson and Rodney are working on it. I think they've almost got a plan to turn us back."

"Almost?"

"Yeah."

"Will 'almost' be in time?"

"It'll have to be, won't it? You'll be back to running this place in no time." Elizabeth sighed.

"I had so much to do today…"

"No one's going to let this city fall apart on you." She was quiet for a long moment.

"I dream about the Wraith coming," she told him. "Taking the city, feeding off of everyone…but not me."

"Not you?"

"No…they keep me alive to see them destroy Earth." He didn't know what to say. The same thing was his most terrible nightmare, only worse because it was his fault the Wraith had awakened. "If I'm in here," Elizabeth spoke up, changing the subject, "And you're in here and Rodney's in the labs: who's running the city now?"

"I put Bates in temporary control."

She stared. "You're kidding."

"I didn't see what other option I had. Until you're back to top form, everyone else is taking care of things. So don't worry about the city." She finally conceded.

"Do you know if they're making any progress?" Elizabeth asked as she caught a glimpse of Carson talking with another doctor across the room.

"I'm not sure. I think Rodney wanted to run a test with the gate a little while ago, but I don't know what the results were. You want me to go ask?"

"No…stay here." He took her hand again.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Several hours later, Carson and Rodney were in the Gate Room, trying to reconfigure the Stargate to reverse the de-aging. They'd spent every second on it since Elizabeth had been brought into the infirmary the previous morning, knowing they were racing against the clock. She was protected from any further illness, but the one she already had was doing a number. 

"Have you managed to stabilize the event horizon?" Rodney called up the stairs to Grodin, who was at the dialing computer. They'd been having some problems with getting the right energy signatures once Rodney had added his modifications.

"I think so," Peter called back.

They'd chosen a planet they knew to be safe and unoccupied as the target. Once they got to the other side, they were to wait five minutes for the gate to be modified, dial back to Atlantis, and then come home, hopefully arriving as their normal adult selves. They had to get everything right the first time – there was no way to test the gate before the three of them went through.

"You better do more than 'think'," Rodney shot back.

"It'll be stable," he amended.

"Sheppard to Beckett," he heard John's voice over his headset.

"Go ahead, John."

"Elizabeth's gotten worse – she's coughing up blood!" Carson exchanged a look with Rodney.

"I'll be right there," he told John. "How long do you need?" he asked Rodney.

"I don't know…a couple hours."

"I can probably only keep her stable for one." Rodney sighed as the doctor left.

"Then we've got one."

* * *

It took quite a bit of scrambling around, but they actually were ready to go sixty-eight minutes later when Carson returned with John on his heels and Elizabeth in his arms. Both boys helped keep her on her feet once Beckett put her down. 

"Dial it up!" John demanded of the officer that was at the computer upstairs. The chevrons started lighting up, and then the event horizon formed. The three children disappeared through it, and a few moments later, the gate shut down. The scientists in the room hurriedly began making the needed changes to the gate.

Bates descended from the control room to stand with Beckett. "If this doesn't work…" he commented to the doctor, who shook his head dismissively.

"It'll work.

Despite that assertion, no one in the control room was happier to see the three people who came through the gate a few minutes later. It had been a long few days, but at least everything had worked out in the end.


	6. Epilogue

That evening, a lone figure was standing on the balcony outside the gate room, looking out at the miles and miles of ocean that surrounded Atlantis. He didn't look up at the sound of the door opening behind him, nor did he move when another person joined him at the railing. The pair stood silently for a long while, watching the sun disappear beyond the horizon.

"Beckett give you a clean bill of health?" John finally asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "He did, although apparently my anemia was a pre-existing condition…Carson read me the riot act on that."

"Good. He's just looking out for you."

"I know…"

"It was almost kind of nice in the beginning," John commented after a long moment of silence. "Being a kid…no responsibility."

"The responsibility never went away, John."

"I know, but I could pretend for a little while…" He saw her turn away, but she stopped when he didn't follow her back towards the door.

"Come on," she told him.

"Where are we going?"

"Rec Room A. Your favorite football game is in the player, and I made a couple bowls of popcorn." He frowned, confused.

"Not only are you VOLUNTARILY taking time away from work, but you're doing it to watch FOOTBALL with me? Who are you, and what have you done with the real Dr. Weir?"

"It's not like anyone from Earth is going to be looking over those reports in my office anytime soon. They'll keep, and we can 'un-grow up' for a couple hours."

John grinned as they went back inside. "Does this mean I can call you Lizzie?" She shot him a glare.

"Don't push your luck."

* * *

Fin.

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for all of the reviews I've received! They've made a very hellish week at school a lot better.


End file.
